Sunday, September 21, 2008

Be Prepared, Ike Reminds Us

Sometimes emergencyplans look so daunting that it's easier to do nothing. So, my goals are modest. I'm going to do a few small things each season to put us in better shape to handle an emergency. Hearing that the city of Houston is expected to go for another WEEK (if not more) without power is motivation to keep working at this.

This quarter, I updated our car kits to include Buster-sized diapers and fresh wipes, bottled water, a baby bottle, and a small container of formula. That way, if someone gets stranded with the baby and without me, he'll have meals.

I put one of Q-ster's old (but clean) Avent bottles in each kit, because I don't want to buy brand new bottles that will hopefully never be used. If we hit a major natural disaster, drinking from a bottle with BPA in the plastic a couple of times while on the way home will be the least of our worries. Once Buster outgrows the small size of the BPA-free Born Free bottles that we're currently using and moves to 9 ounce bottles, I'll replace the Avents in the car kits with the Born Frees.

I also finally got a copy of Buster's birth certificate, which is a separate story in itself, but I haven't made copies of that or of insurance documents for our Go Bag, so that can be next quarter's task.

Call to action: Do one thing improve your emergency readiness. Buy a few cans of food (and have a can opener nearby). Store some extra water. Or get a crank-powered flashlight and radio.